Only In Your Dreams
by Bach91
Summary: Set two months after the final episode from Season 2. During a mission, the guys are exposed to a new drug, suffering with very vivid hallucinations. Oliver's side effects though involve a certain blonde whom he was doing his best to keep at arm's length so far. Rated T for some swearing. Hope you guys like it!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have been thinking about writing this for weeks! I am glad to say I started it, but it did not turn out completely the way I wanted it to. First, it was supposed to be a one-shot, but it was too long already for my standards, so it will have more two or three chapters I guess. I own none of the characters. Criticism is encouraged :) **

**The characters' lines are introduced by "...". And thoughts by '...'. **

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><p>Opening his eyes, Oliver saw the familiar ceiling lights in his team's secret lair. Ok, so he was hurt during combat once more, no biggie.<p>

"What happened?", he asked to whoever would be nearest to him.

"Well", that was obviously Felicity's voice, "you, Roy and Diggle were being your usual badass selves, destroying the Mank's hideout, when Mank decided to try one last shot at escaping. So he released a gas bomb containing a highly concentrated Lullaby formula in the warehouse. It went off right beside you so you passed out from the exposure, but Diggle was able to catch him in time."

Hector Mank was a just another punk trying to create the next Vertigo – because apparently the variety of drugs on the streets wasn't already enough. He was only 15, but after long weeks spent in the school's chemistry laboratory he accidentally created the Lullaby, a drug not as strong as Vertigo, but that lasted for an obscene amount of time while giving its users a 'bitching high', according to them. The biggest problem though was that Mank's crew was getting more and more violent. Lullaby's low cost and high effectiveness attracted many customers, and the sellers were starting to feel like they owned the Glades; after a while they were functioning on a 'obey or be shot' kind of basis.

Oliver looked up at her, frowning. "You said highly concentrated?", Oliver still felt a little dizzy. Not like 'I was badly hurt and knocked out' dizzy, more like 'I haven't been getting much sleep' dizzy.

"Yeah, apparently he thought that his drug was stronger than it is and assumed it would become a very dangerous weapon. We used some of those herbs from the island on you, that's why you're not feeling the Lullaby's effects, although it is still in your system. But don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you for any fallout". She smiled at him for a couple of seconds, and then blushed slightly. "And when I say 'I' I mean the whole team. Not just me, obviously. Diggle and Roy are aware of the situation". She shook her head a little and gave a little laugh. "How are you feeling?"

It was Oliver's turn to laugh. For two years he has been working with her. Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days being in constant interaction with her. Yet she never seized to amaze him. Her intelligence had made all their missions seem like a really bad game of hide and seek – no perpetrator was ever left hidden, she guided his fists to criminal after criminal –, not to mention the number of times it had saved his green ass. Her kindness and understanding towards him saved his mind, his trill to fight and protect. Her beauty... 'Hold your thoughts Oliver', he thought to himself. Nope. Not gonna happen. If there was one part of his life where he needed control, it was his love life, and he intended to protect that with an iron fist. Felicity was dangerous, even with that angel formed face, she could be the end of him if he ever took that road. Laurel, Sara, McKenna – those were the kind of women for him, predictable and... well, safe.

"Oliver?", there was a touch of concern in her voice.

"Oh, I'm ok. I'm just surprised to see no bloody clothes or gauzes anywhere after a taking down.", he smiled at her, looking deep into her eyes. God, those heavenly gorgeous eyes, that could guide any soul to the safety of Paradise...

"I know right!", she exclaimed excitedly. "Although, it's pretty sad that we are so unaccustomed to that. Anyway, a victory is a victory. Diggle said he would be at Roy's place blowing off some steam, since he was too full of adrenaline to go home to Lyla. She will_ not _be happy about that in the morning, I assure you, her hormones have been all over the place lately. I know..."

"Felicity". He loved her babbling. Her voice, in any occasion, was music to his ears. But one thing he loved even more was the look she got every time he stopped her on her tracks. It was a mixture of surprised and apologetic feelings. Saying her name in order to stop her from going on loop holes around some subject was a guilty pleasure of his.

"Sorry. He said you could stop by if you wanted, but you look like you need a bed. And maybe some warm milk. Do you want a drive home?". It was barely a question, as she was getting her car keys and reaching a hand to help him up.

"No, Felicity, thank you. I can get a cab. The mansion is too far from your house."

"Yeah, so? I work for a billionaire, I can get him to pay a full tank of gas if I need to". She had a teasing smile on her face. Oh, she could get him to do _anything_... "Get up, don't make me sedate you to take you to my car. That would certainly take some blood out of one of us.". Was it okay to be turned on by that?

"Ok, Miss Smoak", he got up and put both his feet on the floor, finding the right balance. His dizziness was almost completely gone by now, the only remaining effect from that gas bomb was a faint headache, but that was probably from his lack of sleep. "Lead the way", he smiled at her, holding a hand forward. She walked in front of him and he put his left hand on her back. Nowadays he didn't even give much thought to that, touching her was an instinct. It was like his hands were destined to feel that creamy, soft skin, that smelled like freshly harvested flowers and fancy wine and... 'Stop it Oliver!'.

The ride to the mansion was quiet, mostly because he was almost asleep for the entire time, and she wanted to let him rest as much as possible until their next target started begging for attention. She wanted to help him to his bedroom but he assured her that he would be fine on his own. He didn't trust his sleepy self, he might drag her to his bed to keep taking care of him and end up causing irremediable problems to both of them. So he just squeezed her shoulder a little bit: "Goodnight, Felicity. And thank you".

"Don't sweat on it. Goodnight Oliver". They stared at each other for 3 seconds more than they should, and he left her car.

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><p>A shower and a glass of something quite stronger than warm milk later, Oliver jumped into his bed. He needed some rest, and when he <em>admitted<em> something like that to himself it only meant he was moments away from passing out due to physical exhaustion. It wasn't a good habit, but it was the best way to keep his nightmares at bay; if he was too tired to think straight, there was a good chance he would sleep through at least six hours without waking up covered in sweat and tears, shaking and visualizing the last breaths of so many people he cared about. He learned that trick after two years on the island, and even though his dreams were getting less traumatizing, he wasn't ready to deal with them every night. He had to remember his sins every time he looked at his scars, his tattoos or his eyes. When he was wearing the hood, he could see none of those things. He was safe from the sad memories from the island, yet his heart reminded him of the dead bodies he left in the Glades and the mistakes he'd made while trying to carry the city on his shoulders. The only complete peace of mind he could get was from a deep slumber.

Oliver took a deep breath, feeling the softness of his sheets on his skin and the gentle fingers of Sleep closing his eyes.

"Are you really planning on sleeping without me?". That voice rang a bell. But it was the middle of the night and _nobody_ was supposed to be in the mansion besides him, especially in his freaking bedroom! So it is no surprise he jumped on his feet and started to attack the owner of said voice. He froze before reaching his surprise guest though, for the person before his eyes was no other than Felicity herself.

Any other night in which one of his teammates suddenly appeared in his bedroom, he would be concerned, because maybe somebody was hurt or kidnapped, or maybe the city was being attacked; in one way or another, the Arrow would be needed. But that scenario didn't scream 'Vigilante required'. In front of him stood a blond girl, wearing nothing but an unbuttoned shirt – _his_ shirt, the same he wore that morning during a meeting –, and the sexiest dark green underwear he has ever seen in his entire life (that was saying a lot considering his late womanizing manners). Her hair was wild, like... like pos-rough-sex wild. Those golden locks of hers were thrown to one side in a way he would never imagine her styling. The only apparent makeup she had on was on her eyes, making them seem bigger and hungry for something. Her lips were red like natural rose petals and – that was probably his hormones thinking – quite swollen. And Oh. My. God. Were those hickeys on her upper tight?

"Mr. Queen, should I remind you of your duties again for tonight?". Ok, if he hadn't almost had an aneurysm earlier, that was the time. God what was that _voice_?!

"Fe-Felicity?"

She stepped in closer. He didn't notice he was moving until his legs hit the bed behind him. She laughed, like she found it amusing for him to be distancing himself from her. Her eyes were sparkling, intrigued. She raised her hands and touched his chest, her fingers moving down a little. Oliver took a second to curse himself for putting on a T-shirt.

The woman in front of him lowered her eyes slowly to his lips. "Yeah babe?". How the hell was she doing that? Her voice was so low, even if the room were full of people nobody else would be able to hear her. She was talking only to him, her voice was meant for his ears only, like they were sharing secrets, very dirty secrets. 'Oliver! Snap out of it!'.

He took one of her hands in his and pushed it out of his chest. "Felicity, what are you doing?". He was doing his best to make sense of that situation. So maybe she was feeling lonely or bored and decided to have a one time adventure with him. Maybe she was never really kidding about fantasizing about him and decided to act on it tonight. But Felicity would never do that, would she? And if she would, would he go through with it? Well, she was the one to initiate it, he would not like to hurt her by denying something as simple as one night – one _delicious _night surely. The tip of his tongue started to burn, begging to taste that one little teasing birthmark on her hip.

She hooked her other arm around his neck, while pulling his trapping hand behind her lower back. "Right now? I'm just waiting for your orders, Oliver". There was something about the way she was purring his name, the way she rolled 'Oliver' around her tongue. There was no secret he was a control freak, and her role playing a boss-employee scenario was doing things to his body he was not expecting. 'And that is dangerous, Oliver', the righteous voice in his head was using its last breath to try and put some sense back into him, 'you have no control here. Your man parts may think you do, but you don't'. Yup, it was right. Righteous Oliver was right, he should stop that. He should push her back and take her to a guest room, the farthest one from his bedroom. But at that moment, losing control sounded like a little piece of amber about to melt in his mouth. And her body softly pressed on his was not helping Righteous Oliver's cause.

He was still debating with himself about his next move, when she pulled back from him only to throw his body on the bed a moment later. "Well, maybe you want _me_ to give the orders tonight, Mr. Queen". That was it, he was done for.

She lowered herself on top of him when he heard his phone vibrate on the nightstand. He looked back from instinct, and when he turned his eyes back on Felicity, she was gone. "What the...?". He looked around his bedroom, it couldn't have been his imagination. "Felicity?". He could still hear her voice, feel her touch on his skin. He was sure it wasn't a dream because whenever he dreamed about her, the physical sensations would disappear shortly after he woke up, leaving behind nothing but desire and shame.

Oliver got to his phone. He received a text from Felicity, informing she had arrived safely at her house. That was something he asked her to do after a couple of days working together. He was always concerned about his teammates well-being, seeing that they were put constantly in danger because of him. So whenever they parted ways, they would inform him they had had no problems on their way back home. It was a silly request considering they were all above 21 – except for Roy – but it helped put some peace of mind in their stress driven boss.

So Felicity was really at home. What the hell happened?

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><p>Somehow, he slept throughout the whole night, only waking up with the beams of sun warming up his bedsheets. He checked his phone, it was past 11 am (good thing he didn't have to be anywhere that morning). Oliver was enjoying the blissfulness of having a good night sleep, being fully charged for the first time in weeks. And then he remembered last night's events. 'Oh, another moment permanently printed in my brain'. He kept his eyes firmly closed. Without the weariness from last night he was able to think clearly and sort things out: he was tired, he had just spent time with Felicity, and that glass of scotch just before bed apparently did the trick, because that hallucination was by far the most realistic one he had ever had. And of course it was an hallucination, the real Felicity was at home while his brain's Felicity (hot, almost naked Felicity) was making fun of him. He had to admit though, his brain did a pretty good job. He didn't know if it was because of the many fantasies he had about her, but every detail was spot on – unless for that birthmark which he was not sure about, a nice touch nevertheless. He was also pretty sure that she is the kind of girl to use her lover's clothing whenever possible. 'Ok, get up and stop being a creep'. Righteous Oliver was becoming a very grumpy old man.<p>

Oliver opened his eyes and he felt a hot breath very close to his ear, "Good morning babe, how did you sleep?". He jumped to the floor. Now, he new that voice from about 9 hours ago. 'Fuck'. He raised his head and looked to the small figure on his bed. Laughing eyes were looking back at him.

"Someone's reflexes are a little off in the morning. I hope that's not how you act while fighting crime". And there she was, clear skin, bright eyes, and golden aura embracing her body. Apparently she had tossed the shirt from their previous encounter away, for this time she was literally wearing nothing but her underwear. Her arms above her head on his pillow, she was in a 'draw me like one of your French girls' pose, if he remembered the only interesting scene of Titanic correctly. He couldn't react. He didn't know how, so he just stood on his floor by the bed, admiring her. Felicity's body was for him an eternal temptation. From the moment they met, it took him a long time to train his eyes and not look from her waist down, for the hem of her dresses and skirts would drive him crazy every single time. That 'look but not touch' thing was not possible when it came to her, his imagination was to vivid and his self-control very limited – both qualities were being tested at that moment.

"Oliver?", oh no, that husky voice again. The smile on Felicity's face slowly dropped, and he saw she was pouting, a hint of sadness on her expression. That was torture, he could not stand to see her sad. Felicity was the brightest person in his world, her whole demeanor was what gave everybody in their secret lair hope, and it never failed in putting him back up after a hard beating. Without her presence and her light there to guide him through the lies and judgement from others, the hood would have retired a long time ago, either in a box or in a grave. So seeing her sad – a product of his imagination or not – was unacceptable. Her sadness made him angry, and an angry Oliver was not to be messed with.

He had no choice but to indulge in that madness. "What's wrong?"

"I'm cold. Could you come back to bed?". Oh boy.

"Yeah, sure". He laid down next to her, being very careful not to touch her. Oliver was confused, he didn't know why he wasn't calling doctors and scheduling exams. He felt like a creep, really, because he was using the image of his partner, someone he trusts and who trusts him back, to satisfy this crazy need of her. There was surely some boundaries he was breaking, he just wasn't sure of which ones.

"Why aren't you touching me?", she sounded hurt, giving his heart a pang of guilt.

"I don't think it would be appropriate".

Her face went back to amused one more time. "Why is that?"

"Felicity, we are friends, partners. We shouldn't be here, like this".

She laughed this time. He loved the sound she made when she laughed. It was beautiful and truthful, there were no secrets behind her laugh. "Oliver", she put one hand on his neck, rubbing her thumb on the stubble of his jaw. That was a very intimate gesture, he felt his skin tingling from the gentleness of her touch. "Let's play a game".

That came out of nowhere. It was getting harder and harder to remember that this was not the real Felicity. "What game?"

She got a little closer, this time her knee sneaked between his legs. Oliver gulped. 'If I move forward now I will be able to feel every part of her, every region which I SHOULD NOT BE TOUCHING'. Red alarms started sounding in his head. This was wrong. So wrong. If real Felicity ever finds out about it she would be extremely hurt and probably lose part of her trust on him. And that could simply not happen. "Oliver, every time you lie to me, you'll grant me one wish". He saw the mischievous glint in her eyes, he knew exactly what kind of wishes she would want from him, especially when her face came dangerously close to his. Her lips looked like plums, apparently she had just woken up, yet she still looked like a freaking model. "Okay?"

"Okay". He couldn't say 'no'. He wouldn't hurt her, no matter if it was her in front of him or just her image. Oliver wouldn't hurt his girl for nothing in the world. "But how will you know if I'm lying or not?".

She giggled. "I know you, silly". And she giggled again. She had a weird gift of turning him on by the smallest things. "So, do you think I am pretty?"

He sighed, of course she would be exasperating even as only a representation of herself. "You're more than just pretty, Felicity."

"Really?", her tone was getting more suggestive. Her stare lingered on his lips, and her thumb followed the trail on his skin. Oliver felt like his whole body was boiling from her heat. "Am I sexy, Oliver?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to touch me?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you then?".

Righteous Oliver was shouting for him to stop, but his voice was way back inside Oliver's brain. He remembered he should be telling the truth, and only the truth, otherwise she might make him lose his mind before lunch time. "Because, Felicity. I created boundaries for us very early in our relationship. You are too much: too precious, too gorgeous, too brilliant, too special. I always thought you deserved somebody better. And yeah, I understand it was selfish to make this decision by myself, and that I also am terrified of you accepting me. If you do that I know I would do everything in my power to become the man you deserve, and value you as you deserve. But what...", he wasn't sure of what to say anymore. Truth is, he was surprised of saying those things because he had never actually thought about it clearly. He didn't know where he was going with that speech, the only thing he knew was that a weight was suddenly lifted from his chest.

She gently stroked his cheek. "What, Oliver?", her voice was barely a whisper.

"But what if even my best is not enough?". Oliver closed his eyes. He didn't want tears falling down his face. He needed to control his emotions. Just because he had no idea he felt like that, it doesn't mean he needs to go around wearing his feelings on his sleeve. He felt a pair of lips on his forehead, but when he opened his eyes, there was nobody there. Once more he whispered to the nothingness in his bedroom: "Felicity?".

His phone rang. It was Diggle. "Hey, just reminding you we have a training session after lunch, I will be there soon to drive you to the lair".

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><p>Oliver and Diggle were received by a very sweaty Roy beating up a dummy. Since Thea left to God knows where, he had been really on edge, doing his best to grow stronger and faster every day. It hadn't been easy for him, having lost the power of the Mirakuru before he could fully control it. Oliver admired his determination, any other person would have gone back to his or her old and normal life. But not Roy, he found purpose on the Arrow's team, and he knew he had to work harder than ever to be worthy of his position in the gang. One of the reasons he was so determined was that Thea kept updating them of her well-being. Obviously Felicity could have already tracked her down and sent her boys to fetch her back, but after Thea's first letter, they all noticed how the younger Queen was on the edge of a breakdown; she needed some time to herself after all the truth that was thrown at her face in such a small period of time. None of them knew who she was with nor where, they just knew she was living in a house far away from Starling City, and that she was ok. Roy took some time to adjust to the idea but, as of the last couple of weeks, he was focused on his training, just waiting for her to come back to him.<p>

"Getting a head start I see" said Diggle, stripping his own jacket and shirt.

"Yeah, well, after last night I needed to take my mind out of... everything". Roy had a dark expression on his face.

"Do you mean the taking down? I don't know about you but going through an operation like that with no blood loss, that was definitely a good night.", Diggle was frowning slightly to the youngest of the team.

"Yeah, me too. But apparently that Lullaby thing is stronger than we thought. I've been having pretty vivid hallucinations since this morning."

Oliver held his breath. Finally, an explanation for his obsession to Felicity lately – well, _stronger_ obsession. "What kind of hallucinations, Roy?"

"Oh, nothing big, just strange, huge guys pumped up on Mirakuru, waiting for an opportunity to cut my throat." His voice was dripping with stress and his whole body was tense.

Diggle didn't look surprised, "I thought that would happen. Even after several tests, we still have no idea of how Lullaby really works. Those herbs we took last night took the most noticeable effects, but the fact is that it will take another 36 hours for our system to completely get rid of this thing. We should be on alert until Friday. Maybe take it easy for a while".

"Are you having any side effects, Diggle?", Oliver asked.

"Same thing as Roy, I feel like there is a knife waiting for me at every corner."

The only thing Oliver could think about was 'lucky bastards'. They were all used to being in constant danger, having to look over their shoulders every 2 minutes. If anything, Lullaby's side effects would make them less susceptible to surprise attacks.

"And you Oliver, how are you feeling?", Roy asked.

"Same thing".

He would NOT talk about his hallucinations. Those two would probably have a worst reaction then Felicity. He just had to hold on for more 36 hours. And he could do that, no problem. He had struggled with much worst situations and he survived. It would be okay. "Get set, let's start with some hand-to-hand combat". It was his turn to blown off some steam.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I can't believe I was capable of writing this. I'm loaded with work from college, but I can't help it! I need to get this story out of my system, haha. I wanted to go further into the story in this second chapter, but I stopped earlier because I think it's long enough for now. I really appreciate all the reviews from you guys! Thank you for being awesome :D**

**I own nothing.**

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><p>Oliver and Roy were wrestling while Diggle was on the floor, just watching – Oliver got a little too violent on a side punch. Roy was improving every day, they could see it on his movements and feel it during practice. But he was still reckless and too anxious to get his opponent knocked out.<p>

"Roy, guard your right!", Diggle instructed from his spot.

Said and done, two seconds later Oliver took the advantage and sent Roy flying on his side. "You need to exercise your patience. I know you're eager to hit as many guys as you can, but you're doing no good by being vulnerable on your vital regions. That's how you hold us back instead of helping us out". Oliver was frustrated, to say the least. That must have been the tenth time he said that to Roy. In that week only.

"I know, ok? It's just... this is taking way too long! When am I going to be strong like before?"

"Like when you had a powerful drug messing with your brain and damaging your social life?", Oliver gave a small laugh. He could sense the other guy's frustration, and he understood it, really, but if Roy kept focusing only on strength and speed and not on his emotional side, things would be just like when he had the Mirakuru in him. "Roy, I know you want to be as strong as you were before. But one thing you are not remembering, is the lack of control you had. If you only wanted to be on the Glades beating people up, strength would be enough." Oliver helped Roy up from the spot where he'd fallen. "Now, if you want to help people, the city, or even yourself, you need to focus on your inner strength as well. You need to be patient and in control of your own feelings, leaving all instincts behind, that is how you are really going to help me and Diggle on the streets of Starling City."

Roy was looking at his feet. "Yeah, you're right... I will try harder, I promise". This time he looked Oliver directly in the eyes, with a new kind of determination behind him. Maybe Oliver had finally gotten through to him, and that was what he had been trying to do for so long. Giving Roy the confidence to be his best, not just his strongest.

"I thing that a hug in necessary now", the three looked to the stairs. They weren't alarmed, because they knew that voice. But Oliver had a panicked kind of feeling, it was the first time he saw Felicity herself since he started having hallucinations about her. She was wearing a black businesslike dress. She had make-up on and had her blonde hair fall in curls on her bare shoulders. She looked... normal? Definitely not like someone who had put Oliver in mental turmoil earlier. She was indeed beautiful. Gorgeous, really. And that glow of pure happiness coming from her was just...

"We don't hug. We hit. We men.", Roy used his Tarzan voice – yeah, Roy had his own Tarzan impersonation.

She laughed. "Yeah, you bruised, too.". She left her purse on her chair and went to the small freezer to get some ice packs. Glancing over to Oliver, she saw him backing away from the mat, getting a cloth and drying the sweat out of his body. "Is the Arrow giving you a hard time again?".

"When hasn't he?", Roy got the ice pack from her hand and put it on his right cheek. "I'm tempted to put 'punching dummy' on my resume."

Diggle got up from the floor. "If you followed instructions correctly you wouldn't be beaten up every _single_ time".

"I would have lasted a little longer if you hadn't said my right was opened out loud", he sounded hurt.

"Yeah, 'cause Oliver hadn't just been playing you for almost five minutes giving you a chance of fixing your posture".

"Ok, boys, practice is over now. I can almost see the testosterone floating around this place, and it's giving me a headache". She looked at Oliver again. He hadn't said a word since she came in.

Oliver was the quiet type – Felicity learned that in the very beginning of their partnership – but he overcompensated in his small gestures. Oliver was a master of disguise in showing how much he cared for the people around him. With the boys during a mission, he was often short tempered and blunt, but at the end of the day the bromance around the foundry was sickening... seriously, it was like Sandra Bullock's chick flicks sickening. When it came to Felicity though, their communication was mainly physical. He held her hand to show gratitude, he grabbed her shoulder to show support, his hands came to her elbows every time he needed her attention, and he came really close to her face only when he was trying to be threatening – _trying_; and with every gesture he granted her a smile. An Oliver smile was not to be disregarded, like, _ever_. She caught herself more than once wondering how they achieved such a telepathic communication, a way of unravelling and understanding each other which never failed. For example, at that exact moment, looking at him, she saw he was consumed by stress and – one emotion she hardly ever saw in him – embarrassment.

Felicity was tempted to go over to him and ask if everything was okay, but when has that stubborn guy ever been sincere about his feelings? None of those thickheaded men were, really. At these times she remembered how good Laurel's presence in the foundry could be, the woman was usually a drama queen but she could at least help break the 'man cave' feel in that place.

"So, now that Mank's main operation base is under police investigation and that Mank himself is in prison – well not _prison_ prison, more like rebellious-teenager-with-some-chemistry-knowledge prison", she went over to her computers, "– we should surveil the city to see if any of his men escaped with as much as a sample of Lullaby. I have an algorithm running to look for any mention of the drug on the web, and we'll receive any police report regarding the matter." She turned her chair to Roy and Diggle, who were following her to the centre of their lair.

Diggle crossed his arms, "I don't think any of them had time to escape with the drug. Their stash was the first thing we put on fire and, according to the surveillance cameras feed you got from the area last night, only three kids escaped from the warehouse. You should get their pictures and send them to the police. It's better with we stay in the foundry for next couple of nights, especially Oliver".

Felicity started panicking "What? Why? What happened to him?", she got up and looked up at the Arrow, who had just started going up the salmon ladder.

"_We_ are _all_ having some side effects from last night's exposure to Lullaby", Diggle smirked, of course she would only catch the 'Oliver' part of what he said. 'They will so get married' (What? He knew it, Roy knew it, Lila knew it, everybody knew it besides those two idiots. He was just fangirl... cheering for them). "And he is the one who got the strongest hit".

"Oh, got it." She slightly blushed, but decided to ignore Diggle's knowing smirk. "What side effects?"

"Hallucinations"

"From Lullaby, really? Like the ones you got from the rat poison last year?", she directed her question to Oliver. His silence was starting to make her anxious.

Oliver stopped on the top of the ladder. "Not really. They are more...", he looked at Felicity and flashbacks filled his memory, _'Am I sexy, Oliver?'_. He gulped, "... vivid", and started his exercise again.

"Yeah, I almost broke down my entire place this morning. I was sure there were men around the house waiting to jump on me".

"Don't complain kid. I had to calm my very pregnant and hormonal wife after guiding her to our bathroom and checking every room of the apartment. Which reminds me, I need to buy pineapple ice cream before going home".

They told Felicity about their messed up mornings, and when she tried to get Oliver to talk about his, he only said 'the same as theirs', and sped up his work out. Roy and Diggle went back to the mat, and Felicity to her computers.

* * *

><p>Oliver was doing his best to hurt every muscle in his body. There was no better way of getting your mind out of someone, right? And it was working until Felicity decided to throw her hair to the side, just like last night. 'Just like dream-Felicity Oliver, she was NOT real'. Yet, he could not focus anymore. He kept looking at her, at the curvature of her neck. It looked so delicate. He remembered the one time he had to get into her personal space because she tried to prevent him from leaving the foundry. His head had been really close to hers. He remembered talking next to her ear, smelling her perfume and sensing the goose bumps she had on the skin of her neck.<p>

"Oliver?". It was Diggle.

"What?", he snapped. Damn it. 'Control yourself, Oliver. Keep your feelings grounded'. He let go of the bar and landed on the floor. He looked apologetically to his friend and tried again. "What is it?"

Diggle didn't seem to notice Oliver's change of mood. Diggle knew his mood swings could be worse than his wife's; and he also knew how much it pained Oliver when he hurt somebody unwillingly. Whenever his pride let him, Diggle would leave his boss' small outbursts go unnoticed.

"You have a meeting at four. Do you want me to drive you two to the company?". For months now, they have been going to meeting after meeting to try and get the company back. After Isabel's stunts, Oliver was sick of fighting it: from now on _he_ would run _his_ company, no matter how many sleepless nights he might have to endure. But before he could do it, he would have to survive through several meetings with hundreds of people he didn't know – even though he should – or _did_ know – and really wished he didn't. Oh, bureaucracy, aren't you a heartless bitch?

"Urgh, I forgot about that. Don't worry, I will drive myself".

"Isn't Felicity going with you?".

The woman heard her name and looked at the two. "Me? Where am I going?".

"I thought you were going to Oliver's meetings with him?". Diggle looked confused, which was normal. Everything concerning Queen Consolidated was a matter to be dealed with by both Oliver and Felicity, mostly because Oliver was constantly worrying about a hundred things at the same time and he needed Felicity to remind him what to prioritize and when.

"Don't worry about it, Felicity". Oliver almost had a heart attack imagining a whole car drive with Felicity by his side at his current situation. "You seem like you've had a lot to deal with these past couple of days, why don't you take the rest of the day off? I can do this one by myself."

"It's no big deal, Oliver. I don't have much to do at home right now, and it would be weird for you to take notes and be at the office all by yourself."

"The board of directors already have a pretty strong opinion of me, I don't think that telling them my assistant is sick _once_, would be a big deal. They probably think I enslave you enough as it is." He smiled reassuringly at her. "You can go home." He put his hand on her upper arm. She could feel there was more to his request than giving her some free time. He was smiling and touchy as usual, but his eyes were almost begging. That only made her want to go with him even more.

"But, Oliver..."

"Hey, what if I go with him?", Roy had just showered and changed into his normal clothes. He was eager to keep himself busy and out of his own house.

"What? Why would you want to go, Roy?"

"You are the one who kept telling me I should try doing something at Queen Consolidated, since the club has been closed and all. Besides, I don't really want to go home."

"Why not?", Diggle asked.

"It's empty". He didn't need to say anything else, they got the message: Thea was not there.

Felicity wasn't convinced yet. "But, Roy, what are those guys going to think of a kid showing up in an important meeting like that? It sends the wrong impression!".

"What is it with you and appearances today, Felicity? You never cared about that.", Oliver looked Roy from head to toes. "Do you have a suit?".

"Nope".

"Doesn't matter. I have some at home that should fit you. Can you make coffee?".

"Can _you_ make it?".

"Yeah, you just need to press some buttons and...".

"Then I'll have no problems with it".

Oliver gave him a warning look. "Yeah, take that smug smile of your face, let's go. I'll see you guys later."

They left without turning back. Diggle took his things and was prepared to leave when he saw Felicity hadn't moved.

"Hey", he said softly, "you can come with me, spend some time with Lila. We have been discussing the decorations for the nursery, we would really appreciate your help."

"I don't think I'm in the mood, Diggle. I'm starting to get worried about Oliver, he was weird the whole time we were here".

"It's the drugs, Felicity. You know him, he would never admit to be suffering with something like that. And he also knows you're the one out of us all who can read him best. He was probably concerned that you would be worried about him."

"And that's not helping me, is it?", she was frustrated. She knew him, yes. And she also knew him when he was trying to hide his weaknesses. But no, today he was _different_. The kind of different she wasn't used to, and she didn't like that. "Well, I won't be useful anywhere else today so, I might as well help you with one of Lila's freakouts". She looked at Diggle's busted face, "Yeah, 'cause I wouldn't notice the truth behind that shameless lie of yours."

* * *

><p>"Have a good night, Mr. Hatchi". And that was the last one of them. Three hours and a half inside that office. That <em>had<em> to be a record or something. The good part was that, finally, things were moving forward. His hopes of getting back his company had something to hang on to now. And...

"Urgh!", his neck cracked. He was very tense.

"Hey, Oliver, ready to go?". Roy did a surprisingly good job, being all professional and polite in his newly acquired suit – it was one of Oliver's old suits and, unless, Oliver lost a third of his muscles, would never fit him ever again. "Diggle called. He invited us to go to his place and have some late dinner".

"Oh, you can go then, Roy. I have some more things to deal with here. Send them my apologies".

"Are you sure man? It's pretty late, and you look exhausted. Can't you do it tomorrow? You're the boss after all."

"No, this is urgent." Surprisingly, he wasn't lying. He _had_ things to do and they _were_ urgent, just not 'tonight' urgent. "By the way", he put his hand in his pocket, "here". He threw Roy his keys, "Take my car, I can take a cab later".

"Your... your BMW?! Are you sure?"

Oliver smirked. "Yes, Roy, I'm sure". He looked at the boy. "Thank you. For helping me. I know it must have been extremely boring for you".

"Anytime. And I mean, _any_time, if it means scoring a fancy suit and driving a BMW all within four hours." Roy started leaving, but after a moment or two he turned back. "Ahn, Oliver?".

"Yeah?"

"... thank you".

"Sure. Goodnight, Roy".

* * *

><p>Now he was alone. Nobody else on the whole floor. Oliver sat behind his computer, his eyes burning after barely 30 minutes working on a report. His friends were all probably at Diggle's apartment by now, having fun. That would make any guy sulk.<p>

"I should go home".

"Yes, you should. I can't believe you're still here!"

"Felicity?". Ok, what the hell?! This was not a hallucination, right? She looked the same as she did when he left the foundry earlier. "Is that you?".

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Who else do I look like? Of course it's me". Then she went into mad-mode. "Roy told me you looked exhausted when he left, so I came here to get you."

"Felicity, I have work to do".

"What work? Those papers for your lawyers? These are for _Monday_, not tonight. You can work on them tomorrow. What's wrong with you today? You've been acting weird the whole day! Not to mention you barely said two words to me at the foundry". Her voice was getting really loud by now.

"It's nothing, Felicity. You don't need to worry about it.". Her being there was not on his plans. He was going to work as much as possible before returning to the foundry and train.

"Yes, I do. I need to worry about you Oliver, because you obviously don't care about your own well-being".

He got up from his chair, that was the universal sign for 'back away'. "That does _not_ give _you_ the right of getting into _my_ business, Felicity."

She approached his desk, that was her own personal sign for 'stop being a jerk'. "Actually, after promoting me to your executive assistant, involving me into your 'evening activities' and constantly getting yourself into _my own_ personal business – all without my consent, if I may add – I think I do have the right of doing so."

He was painfully aware that she was right and he was very, very wrong. But he was not losing this argument. "Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather I let you go back to your old life in the IT department?". He moved to the side of his desk, using his best poker face.

"If I weren't so sure you would be dead after a week without me, I would gladly leave just to have the pleasure of watching you crawl back through my office door asking me to save a bullet damaged laptop you accidentally dropped latte on". There was surely something wrong with him, because his lower body was getting dangerously hot and the palms of his hands were sweating.

"And I would love to go back there just to see that relief in your eyes of finally doing something exciting, instead of rebooting computers and teaching people how to use their browsers all day long. Say it, your life was way too boring before you met me". He felt his voice was husky, the adrenaline in his system was closing his throat.

"Yes, it was. Just like yours was a complete mess without _me_". They were inches apart now.

"You should be at Diggle's now, Felicity".

"No, Oliver. Where I should be is by your side, as I always have been". She wrapped her arms around his centre. She was wearing obscenely high heels, yet her nose barely hit his lips. His suit was thick, but he could feel her. He felt her chest against his own. Her heart was beating along with his in a fast rhythm. He felt both their heartbeats on his ears, pulsing strongly with his blood.

'Don't do this, Oliver. You're losing control here. Don't do this. She can't love you. You will hurt her. You will make her cry. You are unlovable, Oliver. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to _her_.'

She pressed herself more into him. He felt her breasts, her ribs, her bellybutton; every part of her centre was against his body. Her thighs came closer. Oliver remembered his hallucinations, he remembered how beautiful her body was, he remembered how strongly he wanted to touch her skin. He remembered those hickeys next to the hem of her panties; right now he needed those marks to come from his mouth. He needed to feel every inch of her.

Oliver gulped. "Felicity... I...".

She raised a hand to his face, putting her thumb over his lips. "Shhhh. Don't speak, Oliver". No, no, no, no, no, no, NO. She was _not_ doing that... that _voice_ again. That damned sexy voice which he was sure was a product of his imagination. "Just... show me I'm important to you".

'Hi! 911? Righteous Oliver has just died. If you need to come and rescue you him? Nah, he's a buzz kill anyway'.

He was in shock, he couldn't move. She was the one to wrap her arms around his neck and lower him to her. When their noses touched, Oliver closed his eyes. He was only feelings and instincts from that moment forward. Her lips touched his, and he felt the start of his downfall. For a brief second he noticed one of the reasons he was so scared to be around her: she made him feel like he had never really lived before. Gently kissing her like that made him doubt himself and wonder if he had actually ever kissed somebody before. She was so different and intriguing and _delicious_. He needed more.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and raised her from the floor. She put her legs around his own waist and pulled them forcefully closer. _Now_ he felt her, every inch of her. She was small and really light, and they fit together so perfectly, he completely forgot why it had taken him so long to do this. She bit his bottom lip and pressed against his crotch. His voice chords vibrated and he growled. _Hell that felt so good_. They both opened their mouths, their tongues meeting each other for the first time, testing limits, tasting flesh, madly exploring what they'd longed for for years. Oliver lost all his boundaries when she moved herself up, still completely pressed against him, making his whole body vibrate with desire.

One of his arms tightly kept her in place, while the other swept his desk throwing everything to the floor. He laid her upper body on the desk and enveloped her with his own chest, deepening the kiss. He knew she wasn't being able to breath properly but that was her fault, pushing him to his limits like that. The arm he used to trash his office material went lower, and he put his hand on her thigh, digging his fingers on her flesh. It was her turn to growl; they were both lunatics, acting like wild animals. Felicity started running one of her hands through his hair, tugging it and begging him for more. Her other hand went to his jacket – she wanted it off. He quickly took off his jacket, without taking his lips from hers.

Oliver felt she needed to breath. He moved his lips and started kissing down her cheek, her jaw, when he reached her neck he heard her moan and then she did that movement with her hips again and... Oh, _damn it all_! He needed _more_. And...

… was that a ring tone? It was his phone, yeah, whatever... and then steps coming his way... "Mr. Queen, are you in here? Oh my God, what happened in here?".

That was the chief of security, Keith Tennant. Oliver looked at him, doing his best to explode the man's head with his eyes. But when he saw Keith's expression, he knew it. He didn't need to look at his table to notice that there was nobody else there with him. Another hallucination.

"Sir, are you ok?". Keith had pulled his gun from the holster when he saw his usually impeccable boss dishevelled and breathless.

"Yeah, I'm okay Keith. I just fell asleep on my desk and woke up from a nightmare". He looked behind him. In the middle of his crazy-man-act, he threw his computer on the floor along with everything else. At this time of the night, a noise like that would easily reach one of the security guards patrolling around the building. Luckily for him, the one who heard the noise was the most discrete man in his security department, which meant that that little accident wouldn't reach nobody else's ears – like Diggle and Felicity.

"That must have been a bad one, Mr. Queen". What made it easier for Keith to buy that story, was that it had happened more than once before. "You should go home and get some rest".

"You're right, thank you Keith. Have a good night".

The man left Oliver to his own thoughts. Oliver sat on his chair and buried his face on his hands. He never felt like that before, aroused and miserable at the same time. That only came to prove that his hallucinations weren't restricted to the mansion, and that dream-Felicity could very easily trick him.

He reached for his phone. There were two new messages, both from Roy. The first one informing he had arrived at Diggle's home safely, and the other asking him to join them. Apparently they decided to drink, since they had no vigilante-related duties.

'Hell, if I can't run from these... whatever they are, I should just take the opportunity and join them.' He got his jacket and called a cab. He had no other choice, he was going to get mind blowingly drunk. He needed to drown Righteous Oliver in alcohol, because he was starting to emerge from the dead again bringing judgement and guilt along with him.

Oliver needed a break from this Lullaby madness. Besides, there's no way he would have theses hallucinations with Felicity right beside him, right?

* * *

><p><strong>Please comment on your thoughts so far. I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>

**Oh, and by the way: maybe you've noticed, but English is only my second language, so please tell me if I'm making any grammar mistakes ^^  
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